Call Me Fred
by Snorcackle
Summary: In the middle of their search for the fragments of the Key to Time, Romana finds that the short vacation she is so skeptical of is exactly what she needs. 4/Romana I.


**AN: **I'm feeling far too shippy today for my own good. Anyways, I know that people generally prefer to think of the 4th Doctor having a relationship with Romana II, but I just think Romana I is more interesting. Enjoy!

* * *

Many things about the Doctor surprised Romana. It surprised her that he didn't seem to care that she had so many qualifications. It surprised her that he would go to certain planets and just sort of wing it, so to speak. It surprised her how he could be so juvenile and still have the respect of the Time Lord High Council. It surprised her how he could be so careless and still be alive. It surprised her that he would ask for her opinion one moment and disregard it the next. It surprised her that he would shorten her name without her permission and then have the audacity to not call her Fred, as he suggested.

More than anything else, though, Romana was surprised by how much she _enjoyed _traveling with him.

It was funny, really. The first time she met him, he had infuriated her so much that she almost quit right there and then. Over time, though, she found that his quirks were almost, dare she say, endearing.

It was quite confusing.

One morning (if you could call it that, as the concept of time on the TARDIS was hard to understand, even for her), she found herself daydreaming. She hardly thought that could be possible: she was a well-educated Time Lady, and well-educated Time Ladies simply did _not_ daydream. But how easy it was, just falling into the lull of his voice and letting it wander through her mind. She could just listen to it all day, all week, all year…

"Romana? Romana! Fred!"

Romana snapped back to consciousness when she heard the Doctor say her name.

"I say, is that what it's going to take to get you to respond? Are you _really_ going to only answer to 'Fred'? And here I thought that was a joke! Have you been paying attention to word I've said?"

"Oh, yes." She shook her head briefly, dispelling all of her former thoughts, focusing on the words floating through her head. "We should be headed straight for Diadem to talk to the locals about what they may have heard about the Key to Time. It's basic psychology: they're relaxed, they'll be more open. Although," she said, as she turned her head to the Doctor, squinting a little bit, "I have a feeling you may have ulterior motives." She knew full well that Diadem was the most relaxing place in the universe; what other reasons could the Doctor possibly have for going there?

"Well, then. That settles it." He gave a toothy grin before going off to fiddle with the console. "To Diadem!"

They arrived on Diadem shortly thereafter. It was an absolutely beautiful planet, Romana had to admit. The sea was perfectly smooth, a deep sapphire blue, and the fields leading up to it were made of soft, pale green grass which felt like clouds when stepped on.

Romana could easily see why it was known as the most relaxing planet in the universe. Instead of working, as he had claimed he was going to, the Doctor was sprawled out in the grass, his prized scarf lying next to him in a pile with his coat. _He_ clearly seemed relaxed enough.

Giving in to temptation, Romana sat down beside him. The warm sun on her skin calmed her, and she, too, found herself lying down amongst the flora.

"You know, Doctor," she said, toeing her boots off and wiggling her feet in the sun, "I rather like this planet."

"Indeed, Fred. As do I." He spread his arms out around him, accidentally brushing against her shoulder. She laughed, something she rarely found herself doing. "You know, the suns of this planet are both small and distant, but in opposite directions, she the planet is in a state of constant stasis. It doesn't orbit, it doesn't rotate, and it is locked in the perfect balance between hot and cold."

"Mmm." Romana found herself falling into the sound of his voice once again. She lost track of what he was saying, until, suddenly, she realized she was reaching for the Doctor's hand. Her slender fingers curved around the expanse of his large palm, grasping it loosely. His fingers reacted, holding her hand tighter.

She turned her head to face him, laughing. As her face lay against her volume of brown tresses, she could see that his face had turned to her, as well. _This_ was something she didn't fully expect to happen.

Romana leaned her face inwards towards him, smiling. He leaned in further, meeting her lips with his own. In that moment, she decided that she really didn't mind not asking the locals for information. That could wait; this moment was important.

"Well, Romana," the Doctor said, pulling back "this has been a most pleasant vacation."

"Please," she said, leaning in for another kiss. "Call me Fred."


End file.
